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September 09, 2009

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Rep. Joe Wilson, working to control the damage from his eruption, apologizes in a statement:

This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the President’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility.

Wilson, a reader notes, violated the House Republicans' stated rules of decorum, which say, "The precedents of the House allow a wide latitude in criticism of the President, other executive officials, and the government itself. However, it is not permissible to use language that is personally offensive to the President, such as referring to him as a 'hypocrite' or a 'liar.'"

UPDATE: Jonathan Martin reports that Wilson called the White House after the speech to apologize to chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel.

Reader Comments (82)

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Satisfied now? To those on both sides who want to make this an issue, remember that the President at least appeared to be extending an olive branch. Letting one person's emotional outburst get in the way of constructive debate is incompatible with the president's message tonight.

"To those on both sides who want to make this an issue, remember that the President at least appeared to be extending an olive branch."
A foolish attempt; you can't make peace with scorpions and vipers.

Well I was saying the same thing at the same time to my TV as Obama spoke. Joe is a MINDREADER. Obama lives in some sort of fantasyland. Can I go pick up my unicorn? And Nancy almost was able to express an emotion, but alas her botox is so severe she was only able to continue her singular glare.

I'm sending $50.00 to Wilson's opponent now. Wilson has no class and can't even follow the rules of Congress or his own party for that matter.
That's a game changer and I don't want my kids to grow up thinking it's OK to disrespect the President of the United States, even if you don't like them.
No class or brains on that one.

This is a culmination of the hatefulness the right has directed at the President since day 1. This guy thought it was okay to disrespect the office of the President and the man on the floor of Congress. He may be apologizing, but I doubt he really means it. I certainly will be contributing to his opponent.
Isn't it time the right started debating issues in an honest, respectful and reasoned way, although I doubt they are capable of it.

JOE WILSON LIED. Read the bill Joe... Section 246 to be specific.
Page 143 of the attached pdf clearly reads NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS.
Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments
for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are
not lawfully present in the United States.
This is clearly stated in
Section 246 of the bill
http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf

Obama will fine you if you do not take the new health care id card. It will also be used as your new "purchasing" card and could even be used to restrict your "purchases" or put a cap on your gasoline purchases. He desires for your health records to be accessed by the GOV. DO you want your records, your finances to be tracked by the GOV?

This is a culmination of the hatefulness the right has directed at the President since day 1. This guy thought it was okay to disrespect the office of the President and the man on the floor of Congress. He may be apologizing, but I doubt he really means it. I certainly will be contributing to his opponent.
Isn't it time the right started debating issues in an honest, respectful and reasoned way, although I doubt they are capable of it.

Way to go Wilson !!!!
You completely embarass yourself, and have to give a much deserved apology to the President......how about apologizing tou your own party members?!?!?!
Wilson, ol' boy, you might want to read the bill, because you are (as you probably often are) WRONG on the subject.
IDIOT

Joe Wilson has no respect for the office of President. Regardless of how you feel about Obama or his policies you do not yell "you lie" during a joint session of Congress. Idiot.
People of SC's 2nd district, show your congressman the door. Vote for Rob Miller in 2010. Contribute now:
http://robmillerforcongress.com/

Wilson ...for aliens ..hello all get health card """ID""" cards..with numbers coded..the government holds that code number that matches your .....each citizen has.it..that is how they do it in Canada...no health Card ID no care ....but aliens all covered in Canada for all pay for their health care through their taxes on all purchases ...happily..so health care gets paid on going...no debt...cash from taxes on purchases always coming in non profit.................all fully covered..not like insurance premiums..lump sum payments monthly....never...........better this way.. pennies a day......buy a coffee paying for your health care....what bill? never see a bill....only pay for hospital parking...or if one wants TV in room at hospital..what do you mean by co-op? ....what does a bill look like?..............Drs in Canada take their pulse not their credit cards........

What a f'ing clown. He's going to get flooded with calls tomorrow -> by Republicans saying, "thanks for making us look even more like jackasses than we already looked after this week's ridiculous ranting about Obama's "do your homework" speech.

The truth is that there is no respect for the office of the president anymore. I think that ended a few elections ago, good for him for apologizeing though. I think that most Americans have lost total respect for politicians and Washington in general.

It's almost impossible for Wilson to fully carry out his civic duties under our President and therefore he should resign. He violated principles of the House and was hypocritical of his own principles. He dishonored the House of Congress during the President's adddress.

Joe Wilson needs to resign now.
The coward is now back peddling and did not have the guts to apologize to President Obama and to me...the American people for his blantant name calling rant. If he could read he should know that their is already language that eliminates coverage for illegals.

Joe Wilson is indicative of the republican party - hate mongering, blabbering idiots (i.e. Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh). Civility is definitely foreign to the republicans. They are still reeling from the Nov elections and are not responsible for their ignorant outbursts.

Wilson didn't call anyone "a liar." He said, "YOU LIE."
Wilson simply manifested a genuine emotional impulse. Of course, this may have been prevented if he had first checked in with a personal teleprompter before speaking. No harm done, though. The world should know that the entire American population and its elected representatives do not humbly embrace the tenets of Oprah's "I Pledge" video.

Is it possible that this fellow, Rep. Wilson, provided a fitting culmination to the summer events showcasing people who seem to be demented as they screamed falsehoods? I'm talking about those town hall attendees, many of whom hadn't a clue about the actual health care proposals. Was he just channeling his inner Rush/Sean/Glen/Sarah when he bellowed in the House chamber? Did he simply forget where he was and decided a big crowd needed a big and dishonest yell? Oh, they must be proud in South Carolina.

The apology needs to go directly to President Obama, not Rahm Emanuel. In all my years watching Presidential speeches, I have never heard anyone speak out as Rep. Joe Wilson did. In my opinion, not only should he have to directly apologize to President Obama, he should have to do it in public and then the House should censure him for his unacceptable behavior.
Whether or not you support the President, you must respect the position of the Presidency.

It's a disgrace. Absolutely a lack of grace from Wilson. Factcheck.org and many other organizations have shown that this rumor is false and for him to yell in the middle of this speech is incomprehensible. No matter if you believe this false rumor to be true (likely based on stubborness and a desire to keep your list of Obama dislikes long), you have to agree that Wilson showed a total lack of class. He was right to apologize, but the damage is done

Thanks, Joe Wilson. Now we can add your seat to the target list for 2010. Shove your apology. You've shown us all who you are now, and why South Carolina has always had to be kept on a short leash since the 1820s.

The apology makes no sense, especially the comment, "I disagree with the President's statement..." So the idiot believes that illegal immigrants SHOULD be covered? First Wilson is a disgrace and then he is a liar, twice over.

He "disagree" with Obama's statement? I guess he means he disagrees with the truth. South Carolina should be ashamed for voting this man into office. There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?page_id=588

hahaha... Enjoyed listening to the Democrats talk about beating him...
He was wrong to say it, and right to apologize. Now, to those who say his political career his over -- fat chance, but make our day...

wilson is right
How H.R. 3200 Allows Coverage for Illegal Aliens: 1. Does Not Require Proof of Citizenship to Obtain Health Services: While Section 246 (page 143) of the bill expressly prohibits illegal aliens from receiving government-run healthcare, the bill does not include a specific requirement that a person prove his or her citizenship in order to obtain affordability credits, which means that illegal aliens could obtain coverage. Section 152 states that "all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services". This provision has the potential to include illegal immigrants because it may interpret "personal characteristics" to include legal status. (Pages 50-51, 143) 2. Requires That If One Family Member Is Covered, All Members Covered: Another provision states that if one member of a family is afforded coverage all members would have coverage, thereby creating another loophole to give taxpayer-subsidized health care to illegal aliens. If a child of illegal aliens is born in the United States, then the entire family becomes eligible for coverage. Page 133 3. Requires Free Translation Services: Sections 1222 of the bill will provide free translation services and interpreters to those who are not proficient in English. Section 1728 amends SCHIP to provide translation services to children of families and other individuals for whom English is not the primary language. Pages 408-418 and 782

This too, will eventually come full circle to bite Democrats in the as*, when the section of this proposed bill is quietly "amended", or "modified" to indeed include illegals. After all, Democrats and Obama's ACORN thugs have worked hard providing illegally registered voters to elect them. Democrats owe illegals big time, and with Obama's/Congress's plunging approval numbers, need their fraudulent votes badly. Joe Wilson, while losing his decorum, is right.

I wish the Dems had had the guts to call Bush out as a liar during his 8 years of terror too! Wilson should never have apologized - we need charlatans like Obama to be outed publicly. Our politicians are way too reserved in their discourse - the South Korean parliament regularly brawls!

If that's what the House Republican's rules of decorum state, then they need to be changed since the "President" is a DAMNED LIAR...and it's about time someone in Congress was willing to stand up and say so on the floor of the Capitol Building!

Don't apologize, Joe...you spoke the truth, said what needs to be said. Don't back down...say it again tomorrow!

Barack Obama is a LIAR. He was LYING about illegals (Barry, pal...who CARES if the bill SAYS they won't be covered when there is no provision in the bill to require their citizenship be verified? That's called "covering them", stupid! That makes you a LIAR!) and there's no reason whatsoever to follow "decorum" when you are watching the President of the United States LIE to the American people!

For the record, I am not a supporter of either party so I have not dog in the fight of who's lying and who's not. In this light I have to ask a few questions: 1). Understanding the rules and protocols of any joint session of Congress, has any member from the democratic side of the room ever heckled a republican President? If so, who? 2). Understanding the Office of the President is a national institution and transcends the person, shouldn't every United States Citizen be outraged by the disrespect shown our nation's leader? Were'nt American's insulted when the Iraqi reported disrepected President Bush by throwing shoes at our national leader? 3). Understanding the Presidency is a national institution, should any President be treated differently from any other? Should we as Americans allow our national leader to be harmed, physically or otherwise, without letting it impact us as a nation? I neither support or oppose Congressman Wilson's position, not the President's position concerning the Healthcare debate; but when an elected official, a representative of the people, openly insults the nation's leader elected by the majority of the citizens of the nation, then every citizen should be outraged. In effect, that same elected representative is, by proxy, insulting the majority of the citizen of the United States. This behavior is reprehensible, irrespective of which side of the aisle it comes from, and every citizen should feel insensed by this act. I understand the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Consititution; however, as my dad always said "You don't have to always say what you're thinking." I am truly saddened that somehow over the years we, as Americans, have lossed our national dignity and walked away from our national pride.

Representative Joe Wilson disgraced the office in which he holds by cowardly shouting from the chamber to our Freely and Overwhelmingly Elected President of these UNITED STATES; with MILLIONS of American and world Citizens watching. How dare he diminish this historic moment with his paranoid ego and small mindedness?
I've stayed in South Carolina while in the military and believed it a fair state. We also learned in the military that you may not respect the person but you respect the rank and position they hold. Well the same is true for the United States President. No matter you disagree but respect you must. The fact that Wilson is a retired Colonel in the SC Guard tells me it's a 'good old white boy' club. Because if it were really the Army; he would have learned from day one that respect is paramount when serving this nation. He has also shamed his two son's who are serving in uniform.
Wilson and the other 4 (3 Representatives & Senator Graham) will be known as the 5 white supremacists who showed the bigoted shameful past of our nation; still alive in the chambers of our congress. Who then ran out of the chamber ahead of President Obama's departure; like hoodlums in the shadows; like KKK who realized they forgot to wear their hoods.
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON YOU WHO THINK THIS WAS GOOD FOR OUR NATION, OUR DEMOCRACY, OR OUR NATIONAL CHARACTER.

This just shows the general nature of Republicans...disrespectful, arrogant and holders of the status quo. Republics weren't yelling and shouting before when people were dying and losing their coverage for not reporting acne- as Obama stated.
He can apologize until his lips fall off I could care less.

Next time, if Pelosi refuses to use that gavel as it should be used...to shut down highly offensive and repulsive disrutptions like Wilson's...hand it to the Vice President and I'll guarantee Biden will use it. Biden may throw the damn gavel at Wilson's head, but Biden WILL use the gavel.

Whether you are a democrat or republican "Wilson, a reader notes, violated the House Republicans' stated rules of decorum, which say, "The precedents of the House allow a wide latitude in criticism of the President, other executive officials, and the government itself. However, it is not permissible to use language that is personally offensive to the President, such as referring to him as a 'hypocrite' or a 'liar." Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction and no democrat called him a liar.

I am glad someone had a pair and was willing to not let that lying bag of poop have a blank check during his propaganda speech. It is too bad Wilson is going to go down in flames for this, we need more guys on the right side of things who are not roll over lap dogs.

Why does Joe Wilson's behavior surprise anyone. He is from one of the most racist districts in the country. This is just a continuation of the idiotic behavior that surrounded the President's speech to school children earlier in the week.
People refusing to let their kids listen to the President, schools not allowing his speech to be heard. All because he is black. Never have we seen a President treated with such disrepect and that is the truith. People can deny it because they don't want to look in the miror and don't want to be outed as a racist but we all know what is going on here.
First the claims he is not a US citizen, then saying he is going to indoctrinate our children to socialism and now a US congressman acting like he is at a town hall meeting and acting just like the ignorant people he represents.
This behavior helps point out that electing a black President doesn't erase all the racism in this country especially in the south and Bible belt.
Wilson is from a very conservative district but he only defeated his opponent ( a war veteran) by 8 points last election and is coming back to challenge him again. How much do you think the Democrats are going to spend to bury Wilson next election. We'll see if the racists and ingnorant electorate in his district can be shamed into throwing him out of office.
By the way I am white.

I actually think the craziness we're seeing from the right is more xenophobia and general ignorance and mindlessness that leaves them easily susceptible to fear and hatred, than racism, though racism is still obviously a part of it for some.

Maybe Wilson should read the bill, as it specifically states that illegal aliens will be denied coverage under the public option. If he had read the bill he would have known Obama was truthful, and would not have embarrassed himself so severely.

Then again, what do you expect from some inbred yokel from South Carolina? This is the state that condones governors who pump mistresses on public money and use government planes to fly to South America for a piece of @ss.

Wilson is scum. At least McCain had the decency to save some face for conservatives and republicans by calling him out for being a piece of sh-t.

He should apologize to the people of this country as well as the President. His behavior was absolutely inappropriate in that setting. For him not to realize this indicates that he leads with emotions rather than sense and needs to step down.

This apology is weak, and disingenuous...hollow as Wilson's head. Wilson has done more for health care reform with his disgraceful comment than Obama could have done: this will serve to energize public opinion and sway it towards reform and away from the fascist tea-baggers.

Bush was a liar who took us into a war based upon lies. Obama was only telling the truth, and if Wilson had taken his head out of his azz long enough to actually REAL the dang bill he would realize just how wrong he was.

this is all so laughable. 4 years ago, President Bush was heckled at the state of the union address and no one made a deal of it. While I disagree with the act of Wilson shouting this, it is being so blown out of proportion to distract everyone from the real healthcare issues. The fact is that Obama did lie. The bills do not exclude illegal aliens from the public option. There were two amendments proposed to close this loophole and they were voted down.

You people are idiots. Read the bill - there are no "loopholes", and the bill clearly says that illegals cant join the public option. Y'all need to pull your heads out of you asses and stop smelling your own farts.

I have been trying to get on Dishonorable Joe?s web site to e-mail him or call him. Guess what? Someone has pulled the plug on his government website due to his extraordinary bad manners and lack of respect for the OFFICE of the President. As an American, I am offended. As a transplant to SC, I am not surprised.
I am from Washington, D.C. I am white. I am a lady (although I am not sure I will use ladylike language in this email). And I am 66 years old.
I am aghast that the australopithecine Joe Wilson screamed "you lie? during the President?s speech. I have never, never heard such disrespect. Of course, it came from a Republican.
I want him publicly censured (actually, my new angry side wants his tongue forked). And I want a PUBLIC apology (no sneaking around and calling the WH).
Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that the Republican Party is ?THE AMERICAN TALIBAN? for it holds the same values as the Taliban our kids are fighting in Afghanistan which are the belief in:
theocracy,
fundamentalism,
censorship (as evidenced by this week?s school speech by Obama),
xenophobia,
misogyny, and
old-fashion hatefulness (based on DeMint's statement that he wants Obama to fail)
The party of Reptiles (hey, there?s Newt) has held the Presidency for 32 of the last 48 years. We, the Democrats, have only had the Presidency for 16. What in the hell have you all done for the American people? If you respond to me, I want you to list those feeble accomplishments.
I am now retired, I am internet savvy, I write well.
The line has been drawn and I plan to spend the rest of my days on the net and on the phone fighting you. I wish I could say that you are a worthy opponent, but you aren?t. As the kids say, ?You lack.?
By the way, I have a new bumper sticker idea:
?If I were an elephant, I would sue the Republican Party for defamation of character.?
Catchy, huh?

Actually, as a democrat I like Joe Wilson - he has done more for democratic fundraising with just two words than anyone else has done in recent memory. Keep up the good work raising money for democrats Joe!